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The Sydenham Election.

DECLARATION OF THE POLL. The formal declaration of the poll took place at noon to-day in the Oddfellows' Hall. There was an attendance of about 150. Mr G. L. Leb made the declaration as follows : — I have now to announce that the votes that were polled yesterday do not quite correspond with those stated last night, for there was some double voting — I am Borry to say that— at both of the polling places. Ia consequence there have to be five taken off the number for Mr Taylor, three of that for Mr Scott, and three of that for Mr Andrews. The numbers therefore are as follows : — Colombo

I have therefore to declare that Mr Richard Molesworth Taylor has been duly elected. (Cheera). MrR. M. Taylob, who was received with loud applause, spoke to the following effect : — 110 had to return the electors his beet thanks for the position in which they had placed him upon the poll that day. He might say this, that those who had worked for him in all parts of the district, he considered had done their duty so far as they posßibly could in endeavouring to place him in the position which he occupied. He would also take that opportunity of saying that had there been a polling booth at the other end of the Borough — where he would certainly do his best to get one placed in the general election soon doming on — it would have made a considerable difference not only to himself and the other candidates, but also to a large body of the electors who live at the other end of the Borough. (Applause). It was not his intention to detain the meeting that day by making a lengthy speech. He would simply tell his friends, and those who had opposed him, that he would endeavour to carry out his duties in the House of Parliament so that when he came back again to ask for re-election he would have not only the support of those who had now voted for him, but also the support of those who had strongly opposed him. (Applause.) lie knew very well that it was his duty — and especially so, seeing that the great bulk of the people of Sydenhaui wore working men — to watch over the interests of the working classes.

(Applause.) And he would say this : that many of them had sacrificed a day's work in the country in order to come down and vote for him ; and, further, he would say that he knew men who came five or six miles, and got to the polling booth at five or ten minutes to six o'clock, to record their votes in his favour. Ho would tell that meeting that it would be gross ingratitude on his part, and that he ought to be ashamed to show his face again on that platform, if he ever did anything to the detriment of the working men. (Applause.) There waa another thing he would like to say, and that was — that the time for polling should extend for another hour. (Applause.) He knew a great many who came late on the previous night, and had said, " Are we in time ?'* and he had said, " No ; the poll is closed." Possibly the country gentlemen might not require extended hours, and might wish to do their business by daylight, but he would say that there must be some special provision to deal with constituencies like Sydenham — (applause) — because it was impossible for working men to get to the poll by six o'clock. That •was a matter which he would endeavour to rectify. (Applause.) He might say that it) was his intention next day, before going to Wellington, to go through the Addington Workshops, and other places, to see how the work was carried on there. It was simply by satisfying himself that he would be able to satisfy others, because he was under the impression, rightly or wrongly, that the works which were carried on by the Government were done as cheaply for the community at large as they could be done by any outside and private establishment. The meeting would understand that he held views of this character. It seemed to him as a matter of principle that there was no difference in paying for work done by a large Company, as the Addington Workshops practically were, and paying for its being done . by a Company consisting of twenty or thirty people. Now, if the Government could carry on the works cheaper than private individuals could, and employed more labour, which was the best for the country, the circulation of the money amongst the many, or the centreing of the ajone^y in the pockets of a few ? (Applause.) He would not go further into these matters now, but would merely return his best thanks for the honour Sydenham had done him. He hoped all would be friends. He Had no personal feeling', and had indulged in no personalities. He wished to be judged on hia merits, and if he did not do what whb right, he knew what the result would be ; he would have to make way for somebody else who would. (Applause.) He would conclude by again thanking them sincerely for the position they had placed him in that day. (Applause.) Mr J. L. Scott, who was received with applause, said he also had to thank the e'ectors of Sydenham for the position in which, they had placed him at the poll on the previous day. They had not placed him at the top of it, but they had placed him very near tothetop. (Applause.) Hedidnot think the position was one to be ashamed of. For some reasons he would very much have preferred being at the top of the poll, because, as they knew, nobody liked to run a losing race or play a losing game ; and he would have liked to have had an opportunity of representing the constituency of Sydenham in Parliament, because he had felt that he could represent it as well as anybody else that he had seen brought before the electors. But there were other reasons which made the losing of this election a very easy matter to him. He certainly had had nothing at all to gain, but a very great deal to lose, and personally he would be very much better off as not their representative than he would have been if they had elected him as their representative. He had to thank the electors who had worked so hard, so nobly, and bo generously for him in this contest. The gentlemen who had been associated with him in this contest had worked hard with no expectation of anything in return except that he should represent them. (Applause.) He did not know that there had been anything in the shape of misrepresentation on his side of the people, and he thought they had every reason to be proud of what they had done. (Applause.) He thanked them for placing him in the position they had done, so near the top of the poll, though not quite at the top. (Applause.) Mr Andrews, who was received with loud applause, said that he could not say that he was pleased at the position wherein the electors had placed him. He had not come forward with that intention, but he was bound to respect the result of the poll as their verdict. When he had started in this race he might say very clearly that parties had already been formed, parties as strongly marked on the one side as on the other. They had so far advanced in their j political canvass that he had been instructed that Mr Scott had already secured 800 promises and Mr Taylor 700. How far ! those promises were carried into effect the I result of yesterday's polling would show. j There had, however, been very email j chance of his pulling through against such j terrible odds. The impression of those who I had voted for him had been that Mr ! Scott could not win, and that they could < not rote for Mr Taylor. They accordingly ■ assured him (Mr Andrews) that if he j would come forward they would vote for i him. (Applause.) He said then that he j would work with them, and he now felt ! quite pleased that he had had 230 of the I electors of Sydenham who had stood by j him and had expressed their disapproval of Mr Scott on the one hand and that they did not approve of Mr Taylor on the other hand. (Applause.) Mr Taylor had been elected, and he hoped he would increase and grow in favour, and gain the esteem of the majority of the electore of Sydenham. (Applause.) He would not make any further speech, but would thank those who had voted for him. On some other occasion he might again come forward either there or somewhere else, he could not say ! where or after what number of years, when > the rough difficulties connected with the I ten per cent would have worn themselves ; smooth, and have disappeared altogether. | (Applause.) > Mr Scott moved a vote of thanks to the '■ Returning- Officer and Deputy ReturningOfficer f«r conducting the election as they had done. He quite agreed with Mr Taylor ; that there ought to be an eztension of the 1 hours of polling in a constituency like j Sydenham, but did not think that extending them to 7 o'clock would be long enough. The extension ought to be till 8, so that everybody could have an oppor- | tunity of getting their votes in without ■ having to crush into the polling booth, as they had been compelled to yesterday. ! (Applause.) Mr Andrews, in seconding the rote, : returned his personal thanks to the j Returning-Officer. While doing bo, he I felt compelled to say that there had been a decided oontravention i of the Act by the permitting of anyone jto record his vote after six o'clock. The j Act said that the polling should commence at 9 and close at G ; and further provided that if the polling were impeded in auj  way, the Returning-Officer could adjourn { it from day to day until such time as the ; poll should be completed, provided that in j no case should the polling be open for I more than nine hours. He felt bound to I point this out, thdugh the closing of the poll j at the propor time would not hare put kirn lat the head of the poll. (Applause.) J Mr G. L. Lbk said that what Mr Andrews had Btated with regard to the closing of the poll was perfectly correct, but what | had been done yesterday had been done ! under very peculiar circumstances. Tkose ! gentlemen who had been in the booth at j the time would remember how it happened. j The barrier put across the Hall had been ! pushed down, and a number of the j electors had got in. It was then 1 about half-past four, and they crowded \ about him so that he waa interi fered with, but he was not anxious to vsft the power he had of closing the poll, because he thought it would be a great in- { convenience to the electors. He had told them that thoso who were in the booth at i the time the poll closed he would take their j votes. He was perfectly aware that he ! had acted in contravention of the Act, but [ he thought that under tho circumstancoa i he was perhaps justified in doing so. (Applause.) This terminated the proceedings.